In the first of a three-parter, Mike Ryan reports back from the Friday of this year’s All Together Now, featuring Confidence Man, Toshín, Cardinals, Niamh Regan and more
Photos by Ian Davies
Back for its fifth iteration, this year’s All Together Now brought its expected share of international heavy hitters to the idyllic Curraghmore Estate, Co. Waterford, but more impressively, this time around it was absolutely heaving with both the stalwarts and fresh faces of the Irish music scene.
Cork indie debutants Cardinals kickstarted the Guinness Lovely Days stage, bringing noughties-inspired guitar licks and matching the crowd’s very evident Day One energy. Touted by many to be the best new band of 2024, their set certainly lived up to the hype and set the tone for what would go on to be probably the most impressive stage of the entire weekend.
Toshín
Toshín took to the Bandstand shortly after. Probably most famous for her heartstopping rendition of the Sawdoctors’ ‘N17’, her original set was rammed with joyful, funky, soul-inspired songs of female empowerment. The sentiment wasn’t lost on the little girl in the front row dancing with her dad as she dedicated ‘Girl Go Off’ to her. The pair’s dancing efforts only intensified from there, and the crowd couldn’t but be inspired to join in.
The funk didn’t stop there, with Australian band Glass Beams taking to the Lovely Days stage for their first Irish gig. Adorned with their signature eerie, crystal-covered masks, they cultivated a sense that they were our confident guides into a psychedelic realm. Judging by the smell of freshly cut grass in the air, the crowd is full of willing travellers.
Glass Beams
There was a wealth of high-energy Irish acts on display throughout Friday evening, with Cooks But We’re Chefs bringing their particular brand of house/funk to the Bandstand and Qbanaa delighting audiences in the Jameson Circle stage. Qbanaa has been on my radar for the past year, after spending 2023 refining her sound, and her Latin-inspired neo-soul set was one of the stand-out performances of day 1 of the festival.
One of the most hyped acts of the festival were Confidence Man, again on the Lovely Days stage. The stage feels like it isn’t designed for this big of a crowd, but in many ways that adds to the thrill of getting whisked away into a sea of ravers. Delivering a heroic dose of 90s dance nostalgia, it’s easy to see how the Australian electro-indie-pop band have drawn such a crowd at this particular festival.
Confidence Man
Next up, Jorja Smith took to the Main Stage with her deep catalogue of soulful crowd-pleasers. Smith following James Vincent McMorrow felt like a strangely subdued choice of acts for a Friday night main stage, but her incredible stage presence and the sublime RnB soundtrack did more than enough to send most of the crowd happily into the night in search of the various dance areas.
Niamh Regan
I take a detour on my way to the debaucherous Ping Pong Disco tent to catch Niamh Regan play a midnight gig in the over-capacity Hidden Sounds stage. “I was only expecting to play to a few people, so this is a lovely surprise,” she tells us. The vocal dynamics available to Regan are incredible, going from whispered verses to belting choruses effortlessly. Drawing the crowd in and rewarding them appropriately. Even with some noise bleeding from the neighbouring dance stages, now in full swing, the audience remains rapt as she closes out her set with the catchy recent single ‘Music’. Mike Ryan
Come back tomorrow for Day Two, featuring the Mary Wallopers, Rachael Lavelle, Kojaque and more
